Chapter Break with Frank Joseph

BIO:

 Frank S Joseph's award-winning “Chicago Trilogy” novels -- TO DO JUSTICE, TO WALK HUMBLY and TO LOVE MERCY -- tell a story of lives forever changed by racial turmoil that marked and marred Chicago at mid century, a great city going up in flames.

Frank lived it. As an Associated Press correspondent, he covered the ’60s riots that wracked Chicago’s inner city; the '67 Detroit riot, where 37 died; and the notorious '68 Democratic National Convention street disorders. 

To Do Justice recently was awarded Book of the Year Honorable Mention (indie fiction) by the Chicago Writers Assn. It also won the CWA novel contest. It was named an IndieReader Best Book and garnered five-star reviews from IndieReader, Midwest Book Review, Reedsy Reviews and Readers’ Favorite®.

SYNOPSIS:

It's 1965, hot summer in Chicago. We meet Pinkie, 10, a biracial child who looks White but is being ‘raised Black’ by shiftless Jolene. Pinkie yearns to reunite with the White woman who gave her birth. 

Shift to Mollie, an intrepid young reporter for The AP – and also a lovelorn, looks-challenged woman swimming against a tide of sexist colleagues. 

The first street riot erupts, giving Pinkie the opening to run away. Missus Sawhill, a hunchbacked crone – and the political powerhouse of the 24th Ward – takes her in. Life is good at first.

But more riots ensue. In the worst one, Pinkie’s beloved ‘baby sister’ Bettina is lost. Pinkie and Mollie have met in a wary relationship but now Pinkie has no one else but Mollie to turn to.

Dr King has brought his open-housing campaign to Chicago.  Pinkie falls into the clutches of King’s right-hand man, Rev Bivens, who puts her at the head of such a march. She braves a gauntlet of White hatred. But Bettina is in the march too. They flee.

Pinkie and birth mother Judy reunite at last. But as a nun, Judy has committed her life to social justice. Breaking Pinkie’s heart she says: ‘I’ll always be your mother but I can't be your mom.'

Sawhill masterminds a massive fraud; Mollie and Steve break the story. Sawhill goes to jail. Jolene -- who stole Pinkie as infant and lives off her child support – goes to jail too. Pinkie and Bettina are now alone. Mollie offers to adopt but Pinkie declines: 'I'll find my own way now.'

LINKS:

Website - https://frankjoseph.com/